Slayer Begins 2: Nightwing
by Brenna's Urbangirl Projects
Summary: This follows Dawn the newly appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Wayne Enterprises (after Lucius Fox retires) and her adventures in a small town in New Mexico. This story is set in my Slayer Begins universe. It might be a good idea to read Slayer Begins first if you haven't already.
1. Chapter 1: A Stranger's Arrival

**Summary:** This follows Dawn the newly appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Wayne Enterprises (after Lucius Fox retires) and her adventures in a small town in New Mexico.

 **A/U:** This takes place a few years after the end of Slayer Begins.

 **Pairing:** Dawn/Thor

 **Disclaimer:** Joss Whedon owns Buffy and Marvel (which is owned by Disney) owns Thor.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: A Stranger's Arrival**

Dawn Summers, the recently appointed Chairman and President of Wayne Enterprises, drove through the small town of Puente Antiguo, New Mexico. She was on her way to personally check on a project devoted to studying special anomalies.

After the business with Bane; she, Bruce and Buffy had testified that John Daggett had acquired and stolen Bruce's shares in Wayne Enterprises. The shares that Daggett had bought were immediately transferred back to Bruce.

And so when Fox retired Bruce as, once again, the highest of three majority shareholders named Dawn his replacement. And since Miranda was dead the position of President was open as well and she took up that job as well.

And now three years later Dawn pulled up behind a Pinzgauer utility vehicle and got out. She walked around to the side door and knocked.

An older gentleman by the name or Erik Selvig opened the door, his eyes widening in recognition. "Ms. Summers."

"Dawn if you please, Erik. Or I will have to call you Dr. Selvig," Dawn replied.

Erik let Dawn into the Pinzgauer and she looked at the row of computer monitors and other scientific equipment that inhabited the vehicle and frowned.

"I thought we gave you money to replace all this?" Dawn asked.

"I prefer working with my own equipment," Selvig replied.

Jane looked up at Dawn with an expression that said, sorry.

"Okay," Dawn said with a sigh. "What have you got for me?"

"We were about to find out," Jane said as one of the computers began beeping. She opened the large sunroof. Stepping up on the bench built into the vehicle's side, she raised herself up and into the night. In her hand she held a magnetometer. With it, she could calibrate the position of the stars. A digital display read 00:00:19, and it was counting down.

"Here we go…" she said, excitement in her voice as she stared up at the sky. Selvig and Dawn joined her. "In three…two…one…now!"

Nothing happened.

"Wait for it," Jane said.

Still nothing.

Leaning out the front window, the intern, who also doubled as Jane and Selvig's driver—Darcy, looked up at Jane. "Can I turn on the radio?" she asked.

Jane shot her a look. "No," she snapped.

Frustrated, Jane sank back into the van. Selvig glanced at Dawn. He knew what Wayne Enterprise's research grant meant to Jane. If they failed to produce anything …

Dawn sank back into the van and watched as Jane opened a notebook full of notes and calculations.

"The last seventeen occurrences have been predictable to the _second_!" Jane cried. She ran a hand through her light brown hair, her usually beautiful features marred by tension. "I just don't understand."

Dawn smiled. "Jane," she said, "not all research shows results right away. Believe me I know. Not many know this. But eleven years ago I was crippled; I was paralyzed from the waist down. I was shot in the spine." Jane nodded as she listened; she had heard variations of this story. "Then came a radical treatment eight years later." She pulled her hair back and showed Jane the silver ball that was imbedded into her skin at the base of her neck. "No one even knows where this came from. And they have no idea of how to reproduce it, either. But it fixed my legs and my spine. What I am saying it will take time for results to occur, but they will occur. We're not going to pull our funding for one failed reoccurrence."

Jane smiled at Dawn and turned back to her monitors, she began to rerun the calculations, looking for an error in her numbers. Focused on the screens, she didn't notice the odd glowing clouds that had formed in the sky, but Dawn did.

Dawn stepped out of the Pinzgauer and looked at the sky. "Nightwing?" she said. "What do you make of that?"

Nightwing was the name she had given to the Skjolder unit and to herself when it had given her the ability to fight alongside Bruce and Buffy against Bane. " _I am not sure,"_ the unit's artificial intelligence told her.

"Jane?" Dawn said over her shoulder.

"What!?" Jane shouted back.

"I think I just found your occurrence," Dawn said.

Jane stuck her head out of the door and followed Dawn's gaze. Her jaw dropped.

In front of them was something unlike anything they had ever seen before. It looked as if the constellations had been sucked down from the sky and had gathered in a huge cloud. The rainbow light had grown stronger, brightening the area of the desert above which the cloud hovered.

"I'll come back for my car," Dawn said as she jumped inside closing the door behind her. "Drive!" she shouted to Darcy.

Jane turned around and grabbed a camera.

As the Pinzgauer raced through the night, Jane popped up out of the sunroof again and began filming as Dawn got up beside her. Their minds raced with the possibilities of what this could be.

The winds grew stronger. At the center of the clouds, a dark mass began to swirl faster and faster, forming a tornado. The strange rainbow light grew even brighter. "We've got to get closer!" Jane shouted to Darcy just as a huge bolt of lightning cut through the clouds and struck the ground. The Pinzgauer rocked on its wheels, and Darcy struggled to keep the vehicle level.

"That's it!" she cried. "I'm done! I'm not dying for six college credits!"

"I'll talk to your college," Dawn yelled. "Consider the rest of your education paid for by Wayne Enterprises. Just drive."

The van's headlights bounced over the desert, illuminating the form of a large man!

The man stumbled out of the storm, his clothes tattered and his eyes dazed. Looking up, Jane and Dawn only had a moment to see confusion in his striking blue eyes.

Jerking the wheel, Darcy tried to avoid him but—BAM! The van sideswiped the man, sending him flying.

"NIGHTWING!" Dawn called out as she leapt from the sunroof. Her armor appeared from wherever it was stored and surrounded her, encasing her in it. The armor itself gifted her with abilities and weapons that no one else on Earth had. Or at least no one she personally knew of anyways.

Nightwing flew at the man catching him in mid-air as the car came to a stop. As she landed with him in her arms she turned to see Jane, Darcy, and Selvig staring at her

Then, as if jolted by electricity, they all leaped out of the car, Jane in the lead. She raced over to Nightwing as she sat the man down.

"Ms. Summers?" Selvig said.

"Retract," Nightwing said and the armor returned to wince it came and she was Dawn again. "To answer your question, yes, Erik."

Dawn knelt down and looked at the handsomest man she had ever seen. His features looked as though they had been sculpted out of marble by a master, and his chest was wide and his shoulders chiseled. His long blond hair lay undisturbed despite the windy conditions, and Dawn had the overwhelming urge to run her hands through it.

"Do me a favor," Darcy said, "and don't be dead, okay?"

At the sound of Darcy's voice, the man groaned, and his eyelids fluttered. Then eyes of the deepest azure locked on Dawn, and for a moment Dawn forgot to breathe.

Shaking her head, Dawn rocked back on her heels. She needed to get a grip. She was not the hormonal teenager she had been all those years ago.

Just then the storm clouds suddenly vanished and the wind calmed. Dawn wondered if the storm clouds and wind had something to do with the man. She looked back down at him, she narrowed her gaze. Where had he come from?

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

A few uneasy moments passed. Then the man lying on the ground in front of Dawn sat up abruptly. Staggering to his feet, he gazed down at his clothes, then up at the sky, and then back at Dawn, who still sat on the desert floor. The stranger looked at them with a mixture of disappointment and disgust.

"Are you okay?" Jane asked, realizing even as she spoke that it was a rather silly question since he was obviously fine, though a bit disoriented.

The blond man didn't answer. Instead, he continued to scan the ground. "Hammer," he finally said.

None of them knew what to say to that. Dawn was about to respond when out of the corner of her eye, she saw odd markings etched in the sand near where the man had landed. "Jane."

Jane followed Dawn's gaze and nodded. If they were to help this man they had to find out everything they could. "We've got to move fast, before anything changes," she said. She grabbed handfuls of soil samples, hoping to run a battery of tests on the earth when they got back to the lab. Then she realized it would be good to write everything down, so she reached for her notebook.

"Dawn," Selvig said, "don't you think we should get him to a hospital?" He nodded in the direction of the large man who was wandering around the area, looking lost and sad despite his imposing size.

"FATHER! HEIMDALL! " the man screamed, raising his hands to the sky. "Open the bridge!"

Dawn nodded. "I'll take him to my car and from there to the hospital."

As she spoke, the man approached Darcy. "You!" he said, his voice booming in the quiet desert. "What world is this? Alfheim? Nornheim?"

"Uh…New Mexico," Darcy said, raising an eyebrow.

Suddenly, he whirled, his expression furious.

Darcy took an involuntary step back and reached into her pocket for the taser she always carried with her. Holding it up in front of her, she tried to keep her finger from shaking.

"You dare threaten Thor with so puny a—"

" _Lord Thor, the Skjolder is at your service!"_

Dawn frowned. She had never heard Nightwing speak in anything but her head.

Thor turned to Dawn. "You! Let me see ..."

He didn't get to finish as Darcy fired her taser and he fell to the ground, convulsing with the electrical jolts. A moment later, he was unconscious.

Dawn let out a sigh. "NIGHTWING!" she called out as the armor encased her. She then took Thor into her arms and at supersonic speeds ran to her car. Once she had him in the passenger's seat. She retracted her armor and then drove Thor into town. The hospital was not too hard to find.

Dawn got Thor from her car onto a gurney. Then she made her way to the admitting area. A young nurse sat behind the desk, filing her nails. Dawn cleared her throat.

Looking up, the nurse smiled. Then, in a manner that could only be described as painstaking, she began the process of admitting Thor.

"Name?" she asked, her fingers poised over the keyboard.

"He said it was Thor," Dawn answered.

The nurse typed out each letter with one finger. T-H-O-R. "And your relationship to him?"

"I've never met him before, tonight," Dawn said. "I work for Wayne Enterprises. I was with one of our researchers a few miles outside of town and he stumbled in front of our van. He seemed to be fine when he got up. But our intern _tasered_ him. Don't ask me why I don't really know."

"I'm going to need a name and contact number," the nurse said, either too tired or not bright enough to care that Dawn had just admitted that Darcy had tasered him.

Dawn handed her card to the nurse. "You can reach me at the number," she said simply. Normally she would have waited but she wanted to get back to Jane, Selvig and Darcy and see if they could figure out possibly what was going on. She turned and walked out the door, hopped into her car and drove off. Dawn looked at the clock on the dash and noted the time. It was late; she would get some sleep before meeting Jane, Selvig and Darcy at their office the next morning.

Before bed that evening Dawn called Buffy and Bruce and told them everything that had happened so far. Though she left out the stuff on calling forth her armor in view of civilians. She knew what Bruce would say, that Nightwing couldn't do her job if everyone knew she was also Dawn Summers.

"If anyone can figure it out," said Bruce after Dawn was finished. "It's Jane Foster. She's the leading expert in astrophysics. That's why I wanted you to hire her in the first place, Dawn."

"I know, Bruce," Dawn said. "So how are my nieces doing?"

"They're both doing fine," Buffy replied. "They miss their aunt though, you know."

Dawn smiled. "And I miss them. As soon as we have this situation with Thor, whoever he is, settled. I will come home."

"Oh and Dawn," Bruce said. "The Raptor is done."

Dawn smiled. She had asked Bruce to design her something to use as Nightwing. Not that she didn't like the Bat-Pod of course. But she wanted something she could call her own. "Well I better head to bed. Good night guys."

"Good night," echoed Bruce and Buffy before Dawn hung up the phone and slid into bed. It wasn't long before she was fast asleep dreaming about Thor.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Dawn knew that when Jane and Selvig had arrived in Puente Antiguo, there had been little in the way of free office space for rent. So Wayne Enterprises had bought for them an abandoned car dealership that had been empty for years. Dawn looked up at the sign as she pulled into the parking lot. They had of course replaced the sign that had read: Smith Motors, with a new one that read: Wayne Enterprises – Foster Research Division.

She found Jane hunched over a workstation. She glanced out the windows and smiled at the view of the distant mountains before returning her attention to Jane.

Jane had not noticed Dawn's arrive as she was busy soldering a piece of equipment while a printer churned out images she had taken of the previous night's storm.

Just then Selvig walked into the building holding three cups of coffee. He must have noticed Dawn standing there and went to get another cup or he had thought ahead. He handed one to Dawn as he passed her and then placed another in front of Jane and then took a sip from his.

"We might want to perform a spectral analysis," he suggested softly.

Jane looked up, surprised. "We?" she repeated.

"Of course we," Dawn said bring Jane's attention to her for the first time. "I'm personally interested in what happened last night, especially with Thor, if that's his actual name. Also the anomalies you told me about in your email that brought me out here might signify something bigger."

Jane nodded as she looked back at an image on the monitor. It showed the giant cloud they had seen the night before." I think you might be right, Ms. Summers," she said as the image shifted, the cloud disappeared, and a blisterlike object appeared in its place. It bulged outward like a balloon, and it appeared to be covered in stars. Jane waited for Selvig to absorb what he was seeing and then she spoke again. "I think the lensing around the edges is characteristic of an Einstein-Rosen Bridge."

Dawn's eyes went wide. She had heard of the theory, any scifi movie buff would have, as it was often used to explain how to travel across the galaxy, usually instantaneously.

Darcy on the other hand, who had been doodling in her notebook while she waited for each of the pictures to print, looked up, confused.

"A wormhole," Jane explained in layman's terms.

"But the wormhole," Dawn said. "If it was one didn't open anywhere we would know of though. I mean I didn't recognize the constellations that we saw through it."

"You're right Ms. Summers," Jane agreed. "Wherever it opened was to a place unknown to any scientist or astrophysicist."

A moment later, Darcy's voice broke into Jane's thoughts. "Hey, check it out," she said.

Jane turned, about to chastise Darcy for interrupting her, but the words died on her lips. Darcy was holding up a picture of the funnel cloud of stars. And there, in the middle of it, as if being shot down from the heavens like a bolt of lightning, was the unmistakable image of a man. Thor.

All four of them were silent as they tried to process what this meant.

"I think we need to talk to Thor," Dawn said realizing she was right in her assumption that he had something to do with what happened last night.


	2. Chapter 2: Finding Answers

**Chapter 2: Finding Answers**

When Dawn arrived with Jane in tow, the room that Thor has been assigned to was empty. The bed was overturned, and the IV stand lay on the ground. Clearly, Thor had decided to check himself out. Sighing, Dawn and Jane went back to the parking lot.

"So, now what?" Darcy said when she saw that Dawn and Jane were alone.

"We find him," Dawn answered.

"Our data won't tell us what it was like inside the event. He can," Jane added.

Dawn looked around. "I'll take to the sky," she said in a whisper. "You guys cover the ground. Hopefully from both angles we will find him faster." She wrote something down on a slip of paper and handed it to Jane. "This is my comm frequency. Contact me if you find him."

Jane nodded. "Alright," she said as she got into the van and they drove off.

Dawn walked around the hospital to a point where she could transform without being seen. "NIGHTWING!" she called out as the tendrils of armor encompassed her. A second later she was flying above the landscape at nearly supersonic speeds.

Nightwing knew that Thor would have important information not only for Jane's theory but also on a more personal level. Nightwing after all was an artifact of unknown origin. Sure Giles and Willow had believed it was supernatural. But what if it wasn't. What if it came from the same place Thor had.

So Nightwing intended not to let Thor just up and disappear. Of course it had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that he was incredibly handsome and had made her heart race wildly. Though that was of course an added bonus. She would like to get to know him on a personal level, that was for sure.

"Ms …" came Jane's voice over the comlink.

"When I am in armor, codenames only, Jane. You don't know who could have tapped into this frequency," Nightwing said.

"Right, Nightwing," Jane replied. "We found him. Well actually he kind of found us in a repeat performance of yesterday."

"Where are you?"

"Still at the hospital."

"On my way," Nightwing replied as she reversed course. She wondered how she had missed him still being at the hospital.

Nightwing landed a minute later and stood next to Jane, who was trying to explain how they managed to hit him not once but twice in two days.

"I _swear_ we're not doing that on purpose."

Thor didn't say anything for a moment. He simply gazed up at the sun, which was now high in the sky, its rays warming the pavement. "Blue sky, one sun," he said softy. Then he groaned. "Oh, no. This is Earth, isn't it?"

"Yes," Nightwing said.

Thor turned his gaze in Nightwing's direction and his eyes widened. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I am Nigh …" Nightwing said.

" _Skjolder."_

If the others could see Nightwing's eyes they would have noticed them widening. Before today the entity that came to be called by her as Nightwing had never spoken aloud. It only had spoken to her in the back of her mind.

"Retract," Nightwing said as the armor retracted and left Dawn standing next to Jane.

As they returned to Jane's lab, Thor kept staring at Dawn. Once they arrived, Jane rushed to her trailer behind the lab and moments later brought Thor a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Nodding over her shoulder, Jane told him he could change in the back. Then she went to join Dawn and Darcy.

A moment later, he walked back into the main part of the lab bare-chested and holding the shirt in one hand. Jane's mouth went dry.

"You know, for a crazy homeless guy, he's pretty cut," Darcy observed, glancing between Thor, Dawn and Jane in amusement.

Walking over, Thor held up the shirt. A sticker on the front of it was peeling off. It read: Hello, my name is Dr. Donald Blake.

Jane blushed and quickly ripped the sticker off. "My ex," she explained. "They're the only clothes I had that'll fit you."

Thor took the shirt back and put it on over his head. When he was fully dressed, he began to walk around the lab, glancing at the various schematics and drawings that covered the drawing boards and walls. He stopped in front of the collection of pictures from the storm Darcy had posted.

"What were you doing in that?" Dawn asked, walking over and pointing to the picture in the center. Thor's outline could clearly be seen floating in the middle of the cloud.

Thor looked closer and then shrugged. "What does anyone do in the Bifrost?" he said dismissively.

Bifrost? Dawn wondered with a glance at Jane who wrote the word in her notebook. Something nagged her at the back of her mind. The word sounded familiar. Also why did Thor act as though this was nothing special? Who _was_ he? She felt a tug in her gut, as though the answer were staring her in the face.

~It is staring you in the face,~ Nightwing projected to Dawn but would say nothing further.

Thor seemed to need something to eat as he said, "This mortal form has grown weak."

Dawn was sure she wasn't getting the answers to her questions right away. That it would be best to give Thor what he wanted and then start again. She looked to Jane who nodded.

"I can help with that," Jane said. Turning to Selvig and Darcy she added, "Let's go to Isabella's."

A short while later, the five sat in a booth at the only diner in town. Thor hadn't been kidding. He really was hungry. There was enough food on the table in front of him to feed all of them. There was a platter of steak and eggs, a tall stack of pancakes, and a dozen biscuits covered with gravy.

Thor scooped up a mouthful of eggs and drowned it with a large swig of coffee. "This drink," he said, "I like it." Then he threw the mug down to the floor, shattering it and causing the other patrons to jump in their seats. "Another!"

Jane looked over at the diner's owner and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Izzy," she said.

Dawn got up and walked over to the guy Jane had apologized to. "You are the owner?" she asked as he nodded. "I am the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, send the bill to me at Wayne Enterprises in Gotham, including the smashed mug. In fact include for yourself and your staff a hefty tip."

"T-thanks," Izzy stuttered shocked at Dawn's generosity.

Dawn moved to sit back down at the table. "What was that?" she asked.

"It was delicious," Thor said. "I want another."

He sounded like a petulant little boy. "Then you should just say so," Jane instructed, embarrassed by Thor's thoughtless behavior.

"I just did," Thor replied, looking confused.

"I meant just ask for it," she said.

As Thor took another bite of his pancakes, two of the local residents entered the diner and took a seat at the counter. Jake and Pete. They were known in Puente Antiguo for spending a bit too much time in the bar. However, at the moment they looked sober. Smiling at Isabella, they ordered cups of coffee.

"You missed all the excitement out at the crater," Jake said loud enough for everyone to hear.

Pete nodded excitedly. "They're saying some kind of satellite crashed."

At the mention of _satellite_ , Selvig perked up. "What did it look like?" he asked, getting up and walking over.

"Don't know nothing about the satellite," Jake answered, "but it was heavy! Nobody could lift it."

At that, Thor leaped to his feet, rattling the dishes and causing Jane to almost choke on her coffee. His eyes were wild as he rushed over and put his face right in Jake's. "Where?" he demanded.

Jake gulped visibly and tried to back away from the strange man in front of him. "Uh-uh-about fifty miles west of here," he said, his voice shaking.

Turning, Thor walked out of the restaurant as he called over his shoulder. "Come Skjolder."

Dawn looked at Jane as the two of them rushed after him. "Where are you going?" she asked Thor. This guy was acting stranger and stranger.

"To get what belongs to me," Thor said. Then he stopped, as though it had just occurred to him that he had no idea where he was going. He looked at Dawn. "Skjolder, if you take me there now, I'll tell you everything you wish to know."

Jane raised an eyebrow. "Everything?"

"All the answers you seek will be yours—once I reclaim Mjolnir."

"Mjolnir?" Jane repeated silently.

Dawn smiled as she recognized the word, It had been a long time since she had heard it, but she knew where it came from. She leaned in and whispered to Jane. "Mjolnir is Thor's Hammer. This guy must believe he is the real Thor."

~He is.~

"Nightwing, speak out loud for the others to hear. We know you can," Dawn said with a sigh.

 _"Yes, Lady Dawn. I am Skjolder an Asgardian artifact. I was imbued with the knowledge of my creator. The man in front of us is Lord Thor of Asgard."_

"Where is the voice coming from?" Selvig asked.

"I have no idea to tell you the truth," Dawn said as she pulled back her hair and revealed the silver ball at the base of her neck. "This is Skjolder or as I call it Nightwing. It is what gives me my abilities and the armor you've seen wrap around me from nowhere."

"Ms. Summers," Jane said with a shake of her head. "Do you know how this all sounds? It sounds to me like a very elaborate hoax that you have perpetrated maybe even to shut my research down. I'm sorry I can't take this Thor where he wants to go."

"I understand," Thor said. "Then this is where we say good-bye."

"I'll take you," Dawn said. "My car is right over here."

Thor nodded as he followed Dawn to her car and got in the passenger seat as she slid behind the wheel.

"Nightwing," she said. "get me Buffy and Bruce."

A second later Buffy appeared holographically before Dawn and Thor.

"Buffy, there is a reported satellite crash near here; I need to know its location."

As Dawn drove off she didn't notice as a group of black vans pulled on to the lot.

Several men got out of the vans and walked into the lab and the Pinzgauer and started loading the equipment into the vans just as Jane, Selvig and Darcy returned.

Jane rushed forward, her heart pounding and her fists clenched. "What is going on here?!" she demanded.

One of the men stepped toward her. He was slight, with thinning brown hair and a warm, friendly face. He held out a hand. "Ms. Foster," he said, "I'm Agent Coulson, with S.H.I.E.L.D. We're investigating a security threat."

S.H.I.E.L.D.? What the heck was S.H.I.E.L.D.? Was it some part of the FBI or CIA that they kept hidden, like in those crazy cop shows? Jane had the uncomfortable feeling that this had something to do with Thor's arrival. It was too big a coincidence.

"We need to appropriate your equipment," Coulson went on, "and all your atmospheric data."

"By appropriate, you mean steal?" Jane snapped. As if it weren't obvious that they were taking whatever they wanted, permission or no. "We're on the verge of understanding something extraordinary." She held up her notebook as proof.

Coulson leaned down and picked up the box at his feet. Then, reaching out, he snatched the notebook out of Jane's hand and placed it on top of the pile. "Thank you for your cooperation," he said.

"Just so you are aware this equipment," Jane bit out, "is the property of Wayne Enterprises."

"We know," Coulson replied.

"Did you also know the CEO, Dawn Summers is just down the road. I can call her back."

"If that will make you feel better by all means. But it won't stop what we're doing here," he replied, and turning, left the lab. A moment later, the rest of the agents left as well.

Silence fell over the room as Jane, Selvig, and Darcy took in the damage. There was nothing left but a few small pieces of paper stuck beneath thumbtacks and a couple of loose pages of printer paper lying on the floor.

"Years of research, gone," Jane said, defeated. "They took our backups! They took the _backups_ to our backups."

Selvig reached out a hand to comfort her, but she shook it off. He couldn't help her. No one could. Then she looked out the window and a sliver of hope blossomed as she remembered Dawn. She moved to the phone and dialed.

"Dawn Summers," came Dawn's voice

"Ms. Summers, Dawn," Jane said. "Some government agents just took our equipment." She could hear Dawn sigh on the other end.

"We're almost to the crater," Dawn said. "We're about to find out what this is all about. Don't worry we will get your equipment back."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

As Dawn and Thor was approaching the crater the sun was beginning to set, and storm clouds were forming in the evening sky. Dawn concentrated on the rough terrain, but out of the corner of her eye she snuck glances at Thor. He looked excited, almost as though he were going into battle.

"I've done stuff like this before," she said, breaking the silence.

"Was that before or after you acquired Skjolder?"

"After," Dawn said. "The orb was found by some friends of mine with research notes that it could fix my spine. See I had been injured and had lost the use of my legs. The research said it could heal me. So they placed it at the back of my neck and …"

"It melded with you," Thor said. "Only someone of Asgardian descent or otherwise extremely powerful could have survived the melding."

"Twenty-two years ago I didn't exist," Dawn said. "I was created to house the Key, it was …"

"It was created before Bifrost as a way to travel from Asgard to Midgard and back," Thor said. "Along with opening the door to other places, other realities as well."

"That's likely how I have the power that you claim is needed to successfully meld with the orb," Dawn said.

"It is likely, indeed," Thor replied.

"So you really are Thor from Asgard," Dawn asked.

Thor nodded. "You'll see soon enough," he said, looking up ahead.

Dawn followed his gaze, and her eyes grew wide. They had found the satellite. Parking her car, Dawn and Thor made their way to the edge of the valley ridge and lay down on their stomachs. "Nightwing," she said quietly as the armor encased her. "I need telescopic view."

And suddenly she could see the valley clearly. It was illuminated with bright lights that reached high into the night and spanned outward. Guard towers were set up with armed men sitting inside, while other men and women rushed about on the ground. A glass-walled command trailer was at the center of the station, and Nightwing could just make out something beyond it. It looked small and dark and was partially buried in the ground. The satellite! There were massive tubes and wires that snaked around the grounds, leading in and out of what appeared to be temporary offices. On the side of one of the buildings, she saw the word S.H.I.E.L.D. written in bold white letters. "Retract."

The armor retracted and Dawn was herself again.

Getting to his feet, Thor shrugged off his jacket and handed it to Dawn. "You're going to need this," he said.

"Why?" Dawn asked. As if in response, thunder rolled across the desert sky. She could have sworn Thor had _told_ the thunder to do that.

"Stay here," he said, ignoring her question. "Skjolder is not needed for this. Once I have Mjolnir, I will return what they stole from your friends." He looked her deep in the eyes. "Deal?"

"No!" Dawn said. "Look what's down there! You can't just walk in, grab their stuff, your hammer and walk out!"

"No," Thor agreed and Dawn felt her shoulders relax. And then he added, "I'm going to fly out. You did not think Skjolder was the only thing gifted with flight did you? I must do this on my own, Dawn. It is a test; only am I worthy can I reclaim Mjolnir."

Reluctantly Dawn nodded.

Turning, Thor walked away. As he slipped into the valley, the first drops of rain began to fall.


	3. Chapter 3: Captured

**Chapter 3: Captured**

Out of the corner of her eye, Dawn saw the bright lights of an ATV moving across the site, shining its spotlight right on Thor.

"Nightwing," Dawn called out as the armor encased her. "Telescopic view."

Nightwing watched as the ATV Driver raised his radio to report. She watched as Thor raised a rifle and flipped it over in the air catching it by the barrel. He reared the weapon back, then hurled it like a hammer. It flew through the air, smashing the ATV's spotlight.

Glass and debris showered the driver, who took his hands off the wheel to protect himself. The ATV roared out of control past the Guards near the entrance who chased after it.

The ATV Driver looked forward in panic as the ATV approached the crater lip. The vehicle careened over the edge of the crater and headed straight for a plastic tunnel. The Technicians inside scatter as the ATV crashed into it, tearing into the tunnel, sending sparks everywhere. It finally came to a stop as the tunnel collapsed around it and the Driver.

Nightwing watched as Thor raced into the building followed by the S.H.I.E.L.D. people. She knew she couldn't help Thor, not as Nightwing. But maybe as Dawn Summers. "Retract," she ordered and once again she was Dawn. She quickly got into her car and drove off. She had to make it look real if she was to pull this off. Which meant approaching the crater from the front entrance.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Thor stood next to Mjolnir and reached out to it confidently. Above him stood Coulson watching as armed agents approach Thor from behind. Coulson motioned for them to hold their positions, then radioed Barton.

"Barton," Coulson said, "hold your fire." He watched Thor with anticipation as Thor wrapped his hand around the hammer.

Thor smiled, triumphant, he tried to lift the hammer, but it refused to be moved. Thor looked at the hammer confused as he tried again with two hands, to no avail. He strained with all his might as he screamed from the effort, bellowing up at the storm and lightning above him.

Glowing runes began to appear on the side of Mjolnir. Thor looked down at the runes and fell to his knees before the hammer. The glowing runes faded away as Thor realized that he had failed, that he was unworthy.

Coulson let out a sigh, clearly disappointed. He watched as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents moved in, guns trained on Thor, surrounding him. "Ground units, move in. Show's over," he said.

Thor didn't seem to notice the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents approaching, not that he cared much. He sat there on his knees, his head bowed. As the rain fell he felt very much like a broken man.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Thor sat in a chair, staring forward blankly, his hands cuffed behind him.

Coulson stood across from Thor watching him. "It's not easy to do what you did. You made us all look like a bunch of mall cops. That's hurtful," he said. "The men you so easily subdued are highly-trained professionals, and in my experience, it takes someone who's received similar training to do what you did to them. Would you like to tell me where you received your training?" He paused to see if he would get an answer, but Thor remained silent. "Pakistan? Chechnya? Afghanistan? Then again, you strike me more as the soldier of fortune type. What was it, South Africa?"

Coulson paused again but still received no answer. He leaned in close to Thor with a small almost inaudible sigh. "Certain groups pay well for a good mercenary. Especially HYDRA. Who are you?"

"Just a man," Thor told Coulson.

"One way or another, we find out what we want to know. We're good at that," Coulson left the room as Thor lowered his head.

"I thought he'd never leave."

Thor looked up at the sound of the voice and was shocked to find his brother Loki standing before him dressed in the fashions of Earth. "Loki? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I had to see you," Loki replied.

"What's happened? Tell me! Is it Jotunheim? Let me explain to Father," Thor said.

"Father is dead," Loki said.

Thor stared at Loki, he is stunned by the news that Odin is dead. "What?"

"Your banishment, the threat of a new war, it was too much for him to bear."

The implications of Loki's words dawn on Thor, he's responsible for his father's fate.

Loki drew close to Thor and looked in Thor's eyes, consolingly. "You mustn't blame yourself. I know that you loved him. I tried to tell him so, but he wouldn't listen. It was cruel to put the hammer within your reach, knowing you could never lift it."

Thor stared straight as his grief slowly grew. First Mjolnir had found him unworthy and now he was the cause of his father's death.

The burden of the throne has fallen to me now," Loki said.

"Can I come home?" Thor wondered.

Loki sighed. "The truce with Jotunheim is conditional upon your exile."

"But couldn't we find a way to—"

"Mother has forbidden your return," Loki said. He watched as his brother nodded and then lowered his head obviously beaten. "This is goodbye, brother. I'm so sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. Loki ... thank you for coming here," Thor replied.

"Nothing could have stopped me," Loki said.

Coulson re-entered the room walking past Loki without even seeing him.

"Fare well, brother."

"Good-bye," Thor replied.

"Good-bye?" Coulson said as Thor looked up to find Loki gone. "I just got back. Now. Where did we leave off?"

Just then another S.H.I.E.L.D. agent walked into the room. "Sir ... he's got a visitor," he said motioning toward Thor.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Coulson and several other S.H.I.E.L.D agents stood across from Dawn. "Donald Blake?" Coulson asked.

Dawn smiled. "Doctor Donald Blake. He's part of Wayne Enterprises, Foster Research Division."

"You have dangerous employees, Ms. Summers," Coulson said.

"No," Dawn replied. "You are dangerous, Mr. Coulson. I did some research after my employees told me of the theft of Wayne Enterprises property. You are an agent of a secret organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. or Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. Which was founded in 1942 by Howard Stark, Peggy Carter and Colonel Chester Phillips to combat the organization known as HYDRA. S.H.I.E.L.D. has tried to recruit or capture many so called superpowered individuals since the end of World War II. You yourself are a highly trained combat expert, you are also an expert marksman and tactician. Should I go on?"

"No," Coulson replied. "Though I have to ask how you got that information."

"I am the CEO of Wayne Enterprises and the Chairman of the board. You know how many contacts I have both inside and outside the government. Shoot I know who Batman and Huntress are, and no you are not finding out who they are. And yes Batman and Huntress deaths were faked, so that they could live normal lives. Via them I have access to their computers, which I have been told are state of the art. Now here's the thing. You are going to release the good doctor and return all of Ms. Foster's equipment. Or you and the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. will find yourselves being sued for violations of constitutional rights. You didn't have a warrant to take that equipment."

Coulson sighed. "Tell me this if he is just a so called doctor. How did he manage to tear through our security?"

Dawn smiled. "Easy. We're looking into reproducing the super soldier serum that was used to create Captain America. Doctor Blake volunteered. There of course were some side effects that we are working out."

"Such as," Coulson said.

"Delusions," Dawn replied.

Coulson thought for a moment over everything as he sized Dawn up. "Very well. We'll release Doctor Blake into you care. Make sure he stays in town for the next few days in case we need to talk to him again."

"Of course," Dawn replied.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

The next few hours passed slowly. Every time the wind blew or a car passed by the lab, Jane jumped. Finally, Darcy sent her to the trailer to get some rest, insisting that she'd tell her when Dawn and Thor returned.

Just as Jane was falling into a fitful sleep, there was a loud rapping on the door. Jumping up, she threw it open to see Dawn and Thor standing there. Gesturing behind her, Jane stepped aside so they Thor could come in. She could tell there was something different about him. He seemed quieter, less sure of himself. She wondered what had happened after they'd left to make him act this way.

Thor didn't say anything as he looked at the night sky through the window, as if it could provide him with answers.

"Your equipment should be returned in the morning," Dawn said.

Jane smiled, "Thank you, Dawn."

Thor finally spoke up, his deep and somber voice in the stillness of the night startling Jane. "You all have been very kind," he said. "I've been far less grateful than any of you deserve."

"I also hit you with my car a couple times, so it kind of evens out," Jane said, teasing him.

Thor grinned and nodded. Then he reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out Jane's notebook. He held it out to her. "While Skjolder was able to get the men to agree to return your equipment. I managed to get this for you," he said.

Jane took the notebook and opened it gently, as though scared it would disappear again. "Thank you," she said softly. Then her face clouded over.

"What's wrong?" Dawn asked, concerned.

"S.H.I.E.L.D.," she answered. "Despite your help, Dawn. I doubt they're ever going to let this research see the light of day."

"Don't worry about it," Dawn said. "Maybe a visit from a friend of mine in the White House would persuade them to cooperate."

"You must finish what you've started," Thor said.

"Why?" Jane asked, surprised at the urgency in his tone. And the confidence.

"Because you're right," he said simply. "It's taken so many generations for your people to get to this point. You're nearly there. You just need someone to show you how close you really are."

As he spoke, Thor moved closer and he reached over and took her notebook from her hands. Opening it to the image of what he called the Bifrost, he smiled.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I am thinking of continuing in this universe with a third story. This one would follow Faith, who would be found to be the younger sister of Tony Stark. Faith's story would take place in the Iron Man movies. That would be it though. I originally had thought of doing Avengers as well. But I am thinking of instead bringing in Batman Vs. Superman as the next part of Dawn's story and then probably ending it with Thor: Dark World.

Basically it would go something like this.

1997 – 2003 – Events of Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series

2009 – Batman Begins (Buffy is 28 at the start of Slayer Begins)

2010 – The Dark Knight

2018 – The Dark Knight Rises, Iron Man (Faith would be 37 at the start of Iron Man)

2021 – Thor, Iron Man 2 (Dawn is 34 at the start of Slayer Begins 2)

2022 - Batman Vs. Superman, Iron Man 3

2023 - Thor: Dark World

I could still do Avengers but as part of Faith's story instead of Dawn's as originally planned. If I do it would be set somewhere in late 2021 after Iron Man 2 and early 2022 before Iron Man 3 and around the same time as Batman Vs. Superman, which would explain Dawn's absence in Avengers.


	4. Chapter 4: Battle for Earth

**Chapter 4: Battle for Earth**

The next morning, Dawn woke and stretched. Then she opened her eyes and smiled. Thor slept next to her, the rising sun turning his blond hair golden. They and Jane had stayed up all night talking about the Rainbow Bridge, the Bifrost, and the Nine Realms of Yggdrasil, including Asgard, where Thor was from, and Earth, or Midgard. Her mind was spinning with information, yet she also felt oddly at peace. She and Thor had shared something special last night. He had opened her eyes to so many things, and she had opened her life up to him. She wondered what that would mean for their future.

Beside her, Thor let out a small sigh and then his eyes fluttered open. Looking over at her, he smiled. "Breakfast?" he suggested.

A half-hour later, the smell of bacon and pancakes filled the lab. Jane sat at a table with Selvig and Darcy, trying to explain everything Thor had taught her and Dawn. At the kitchen sink, Thor and Dawn were doing the dishes.

"They're fascinating theories, Jane," Selvig said, looking at the new notes in her book. "But you're not going to be able to convince the scientific community of any of this if you don't have hard evidence to back it up."

"I'm sorry, Jane," Dawn said as she turned to face the two scientists and their intern. "They won't. We have a lot of work to do. Thor was right in that regard last night. We're almost there. If we can complete your work, then we will have the proof and a way to send Thor home."

Suddenly there was a rap at the door. Selvig, Jane and Darcy looked up and their jaws dropped. Standing outside were three of the biggest men they had ever seen and a beautiful woman who held a shield in her hand.

Turning, Thor's eyes widened in delight. "My friends!" he cried, rushing over to let the group in.

The first to enter was the widest of the group. He had a long beard, a big belly, and he wore odd armor that looked ancient and futuristic at the same time. From their talk the night before, Jane assumed these were Asgardian warriors come to rescue Thor. The big man's next words confirmed her thoughts.

"Lady Sif and the Warriors Three," he said, his voice jolly. "Surely you've heard tales of Hogun the Grim, Fandral the Dashing, and I, Volstagg the Svelte?"

"From what we would call Norse mythology," Dawn said with a nod. "Yes, we've heard of them."

Thor put an arm around Volstagg. "My friends," he said, "I've never been happier to see anyone. But you should not have come."

The warrior called Fandral looked confused. "We're here to take you home," he said.

Dawn saw the pain flash across Thor's face. She remembered him telling her about his actions that had caused his father, Odin, to banish him and to strip him of his godly powers, making him mortal. Her heart ached for him. She almost stepped forward to reassure him, but she stopped.

The Warriors Three and Lady Sif exchanged confused looks.

Thor rushed to the Warriors Three and Lady Sif and embraced them all. Then, realizing that there was in fact a traitor within Asgard, Thor bid them leave so that they might return to Asgard to protect the royal family.

But fate had other plans for Thor, and his companions. Lightning flashed across the sky, and the distant sound of thunder boomed. But it was not a storm—it was the Bifrost. Something had followed Lady Sif and the Warriors Three to Midgard. Something much more terrifying.

The sky grew even darker and the wind howled, sending trash dancing along the streets and causing people to duck into buildings for shelter.

"What is it?" Jane asked.

Thor looked grim. "I don't know," he said sadly. "Perhaps this is another one of Father's lessons that I just don't understand." His eyes suddenly flashed, showing his determination to do the right thing. "Dawn, you must leave now."

"No," Dawn said wondering why Thor was so protective of her. "Or have you forgotten what I have?"

"I have not," Thor replied.

"What is she talking about?" Sif wondered.

"Skjolder," Thor said as Sif and the Warriors Three's eyes widened.

"I will fight beside you for the protection of this planet," Dawn said.

Volstagg stepped forward. "So, will we!"

Thor's shoulders sank and he turned back to his friends. "Not today," he said softly. "I'm just a man." Then, as though comfortable with his fate, he added, "You along with Lady Dawn must stop this on your own. I'll stay and help evacuate this town. But we'll need some time."

Dawn looked at Volstagg, Fandral, Hogun, and Lady Sif all of whom nodded in understanding and she did as well. With a salute to the humans—and Thor—they looked at Dawn and then walked out of the lab and into the growing storm.

"Nightwing!" Dawn called as the armor encased her.

Nightwing then turned and followed the Asgardians outside.

As soon as they had left, Thor and the others jumped into action. Racing out into the street, Jane began loading people into various vehicles with directions to get as far out of town as possible. At first, some of the townsfolk balked, but when they saw the storm in the distance, they nodded and got in the cars. Meanwhile, Selvig cleared out Isabella's diner and Darcy rushed to the bus station to tell the driver where to go.

Soon, the place was virtually empty, more like a ghost town than ever before. Satisfied they'd gotten everyone out, Jane, Thor, and the others gathered in the back of the lab. They could hear the sounds of battle, and Jane saw Thor flinch as one of his friends or Nightwing let out a shout.

"Last chance," he said, turning to Jane. He couldn't promise they could stay safe if they did not leave now.

"We told you, we're staying," Jane said, her voice filled with determination. She had seen in Dawn's eyes the growing feelings her boss had for Thor and she had made a silent promise to Dawn to help keep Thor safe, which meant staying with him.

The devastation continued, and each time one of his friends or Nightwing let out a shot, Jane heard Thor let out a groan. He couldn't stand seeing his friends or Nightwing suffer for him. That was not what he wanted, not anymore.

Finally, he couldn't take it any longer. The mortal Thor—not the mighty Warrior of Asgard—would join them in battle, and there was nothing that Jane could do about it.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Nightwing watched as Thor reached Sif, who lay dazed, battered, and bloodied on the ground. He pulled her behind a burning vehicle.

"Go, while you can!" Thor told Sif.

"But the others..." Sif replied.

"You can't help them now. Your job is to survive," Thor explained as she struggled to sit up.

"No! I will die a warrior's death. Stories will be told of this day—" Sif said as Thor gently took her shield from her.

"Live and tell those stories yourself," Thor told her as she nodded. He looked toward Nightwing who nodded towards the Warriors Three. Thor made his way toward them and found Volstagg barely breathing. He tried to pull his friend to safety, but was unable to budge him. At that moment Nightwing came up beside him and he looked up at her as she knelt down and picked up Volstagg. She moved him over next to Sif before doing the same to Hogun and Fandral.

Nightwing returned to Thor. "Their safe," she said.

"Thank you, Lady Dawn," Thor said. "Now you must go protect your friends."

"I am," Nightwing said as she motioned toward the Asgard Destroyer. "By standing here between that and them."

"I have a plan, Lady Dawn," Thor said. "Do not worry. Please."

"I'll be right here," Nightwing said as he walked away from her.

.

Thor walked out into the middle of the street toward the Asgardian Destroyer, completely defenseless. "Brother..." he called out knowing Loki could hear him through the Destroyer, "for whatever I have done to wrong you, whatever I have done to lead you to do this, I am sorry. But these people have done nothing to you. They are innocents. Take my life, and know I will never return to Asgard."

As Thor reached the Destroyer, he extended his arms. As the Destroyer hesitated, Nightwing realized what Thor was doing. "Nightwing," she said, "is there anything we can do to help."

"No," came the voice inside her head.

"But he'll die."

"By doing this he will finally …" the voice said as the Destroyer swatted at Thor. Nightwing could hear from where she stood the sickening crack of breaking bones as Thor went flying. He landed right in front of her.

"Is he?" she asked.

"He is."

Nightwing turned and marched up the street. "Prepare the cannon," she said. The cannon was a device on her chest and powered by her very life's energy.

Before Nightwing could fire the cannon, something came flying through the air accompanied by a bolt of lightning striking the Destroyer and hurtling it backwards. A sudden cloud of dust obscured Thor from her vision for but a brief moment and when it cleared Thor stood once again on his feet, this time in full Asgardian battle armor and holding Mjolnir in his hand.

Thor knelt down and brought Mjolnir down striking the ground. Lightning struck the Destroyer, which convulsed. He walked over to Nightwing and then with Mjolnir he brought down a lightning strike upon Nightwing herself.

Nightwing could feel energy flowing into her armor. "Nightwing," she said, "what is he doing?"

"Powering the cannon," came the voice.

"Fire," she ordered.

A blast of pure energy shot out from Nightwing's chest and struck the Destroyer causing it to explode.

Thor turned and looked at Nightwing, a smile on his face. But her eyes are on Coulson who came from farther down the street where they had watched the whole battle.

"Donald..." Coulson said. "I don't think you've been completely honest with me. Nor you, Ms. Summers."

Nightwing frowned, how had he known. "Explain," she said.

"It's simple, Ms. Summers. Your mention of having access to the Batman and Huntress and their being alive, meant you knew who they were," Coulson explained. "Then there was your appearance on the scene as they dealt with the man known as Bane. And lastly the fact that you walked after that when there was no known way of repairing your spine. My card." He handed her a business card. "If you have need of our resources don't hesitate to call. Also, if we have need, expect to be hearing from us."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Dawn, Thor, Jane, Darcy, Selvig and the other Asgardians stand in the desert where Thor had originally arrived. Not far away Coulson and several SHIELD agents watched.

Darcy looked to Volstagg. "So, how can you speak our language?"

"Your language?" Volstagg replied with a laugh. "Ha! Silly girl, you're speaking ours."

"It's best if you don't think too much about it," Dawn said.

"Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!" Thor called out. He then looked at the others with concern. "He would open it if he could. I fear the worst."

"Then we're trapped here forever," Volstagg said.

Then I suppose we'd best start settling into our new lives," Fandral said. He looked at Darcy and decided to turn on the charm. "Are all earth maidens as fair as you?"

"No," Darcy said enjoying the attention.

"Heimdall!" Thor called out again.

The Asgardians began to lose hope as Volstagg eyed a SHIELD Agent's machine gun. "Primitive. Good enough for hunting small game, I suppose," he said just as the Bifrost opened.

"Sorry, my love," Fandral said looking at Darcy. "These things happen."

Thor looked to Coulson. "Know this, son of Coul. You, Lady Dawn and I, we fight for the same cause – the protection of this world. From this day forward, count me as your ally.

If you return the items you have stolen from Jane Foster as was promised Lady Dawn.

"Not stolen. Borrowed," Coulson said as Jane glared at him. "You'll get your equipment back. You're going to need it to continue your research... which, after today's events, SHIELD would like to fully sponsor."

"Thank you," Dawn said. "But no. Wayne Enterprises will continue to fund Ms. Foster's research. If SHIELD would like to help in the research in other ways, I am sure that we can come to a deal."

Thor took Dawn's hand, kissed it tenderly. "Whatever fate lies before me, you are part of it," he said as he took her in his arms, kissed her passionately."

Dawn looked to Jane. "If you don't mind, call my sister. Tell her I will be home soon. My job is not quite done, yet." She then looked to Thor and smiled as she called out, "Nightwing!"

As the armor encased her, she, Thor and the Asgardians leapt into the Bifrost.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

They emerged from the Bifrost to find Heimdall slumped over his controls.

Thor looked to his fellow Asgardians. "Get him to the healing room!" he said before looking at Nightwing. "You should have stayed on Earth, but since you are here. I need someone to guard the Bifrost." As he headed for the door he called over his shoulder. "Leave my brother to me."

Nighwing watched as the Asgardians left with Heimdall and as Thor rode the winds over the bridge connecting the Bifrost with the Asgardian City. She didn't relish being left behind, but she understood the reason for Thor's request. It was not for her safety, but this was the exit point back to Earth. If Thor's brother made it out of the city he would be headed here towards her and the Bifrost.

Moments passed and Nightwing could hear fighting coming from the Asgardian city. So far there had been no sign of Loki.

"Lady Dawn," came the voice and Nightwing's sight went into telescopic mode at several times magnification. She could see the Thor plummeting from the palace. She immediately took off and flew at supersonic speeds, catching him mere moments before he hit the ground.

"Maybe we should face him together," she said.

"You should have stayed at the Observatory," Thor said. "Loki intends to use the Bifrost to destroy Jutenheim."

They flew back along the bridge to the observatory where energy was already firing out into space. As they walked into the observatory, Thor shielded their eyes from the brilliant light of the energy blasting towards Jotunheim.

Nightwing and Thor looked over the controls of the Bifrost and saw that they were frozen in an enormous block of ice and that Loki stood atop it.

"All these years, and no one's ever dared to use it as a weapon," Loki said as Thor rushed him, his hammer raised to smash through the ice. Loki lowered his staff and fired it at Thor, blasting him back across the floor. He stepped down from the ice as Thor staggered to his feet. "You can't stop it. The Bifrost will build until it rips Jotunheim apart. And neither you nor your little friend from Midgaard will be able to stop it."

"She is Lady Dawn," came the voice of Skjolder spoken out loud. "And I am the Skjolder."

Loki's eyes widened as he recognized the name of the Asgardian device lost several centuries earlier.

Nightwing could feel her life's energy pouring into the cannon on her chest. She closed her eyes. "Goodbye, Buffy," she whispered as she fired the cannon. Loki was knocked backwards out of the observatory and into space. She slid to the floor as her eyes closed and the armor retracted back into the sphere at the base of her neck

Thor stood up quick and using his hammer smashed the ice surrounding the controls and he shut the Bifrost down. He then turned to Dawn and his eyes widened as he rushed to her. He felt for a pulse and then picked her up and flew back toward the palace to seek a healer.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Two days later a feast was in progress as Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three sat amongst the gathered Asgardians.

"...and then, with a mighty bellow, I flew at the great metal beast and laid it low..." Volstagg was saying as he and the others recounted what had happened on Earth.

Is that another way of saying you fell on your huge a—" Fandral said.

"As a matter of fact, falling down was a tactic. Lulling the Destroyer into a false sense of security!" Volstagg explained.

"Don't forget Lady Dawn was the one who had to drag your enormous carcass off the battlefield. That makes her the real hero. Doesn't it, Hogun?"

Hogun pointed at Volstagg. "Big stomach," he said before pointing at Fandral. "Big mouth."

As other Asgardians laugh he gave Volstagg and Fandral a trace of a smile.

"Well, how about that?" Fandral asked. "A smile! I'd say that calls for another drink!"

Sif moved over to Frigga who seemed to be lost in her thoughts. "My Queen. I am so sorry for your loss," she said as Frigga took her hand appreciatively.

"Thank you, Sif," Frigga said as she looked over at Thor, who she could tell was unable to enjoy the merriment around him. "How is he?"

Sif followed Frigga's gaze to Thor before returning it to her queen. "He mourns for his brother and for the mortal, Lady Dawn."

Frigga let out a sigh. The healers had told her what was housed inside Dawn. And knew that was what was keeping the young woman from death. "What do you think, Sif?"

"To heal her, would require something that no mortal has been given before," Sif replied. "But if the healers are correct that she houses the Key. The predecessor to the Bifrost, also an Asgardian artifact. Then she is already one of us. All that it would take is to make her body so."

Frigga looked at Sif and then nodded.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Later Thor stood alone on a balcony, lost in thought. He did not notice Odin walk up behind him till his father spoke, "You'll be a wise King."

"There will never be a wiser king than you. Or a better father," Thor said. "I have much to learn. I know that now. But some day, perhaps, I will make you proud."

Odin smiled. "You've already made me proud," he said and then looked toward his son. "Your mother made a very persuasive argument for the one you, Sif, Volstagg, Hogun and Fandral all call Lady Dawn. Do you know how she became to be melded with Skjolder?"

"Yes," he said. "She told me about the Key. Somehow two Asgardian artifacts made their way into one person. The odds…"

"Of that happening are indeed high," Odin agreed. "Except their not as high as you might think. She told you she was created to hide the Key from one of our old enemies, Glorificus, correct?"

"Yes."

"It was likely that the Skjolder was always destined for her. And she was always destined to meet you," Odin said. "Your mother has persuaded me to allow the healers to make her Asgardian. She is already on her way there as she contains two of our artifacts. All it would require is simple genetic alteration."

"Then she will live," Thor said as he looked at his father.

"She will," Odin said.

"And who will become the donor for the genetic alteration?" Thor wondered.

"Sif volunteered," Odin said. "Sif will be her Asgardian mother from now until the end of time."

"Will she be allowed to return to Midgaard?"

"I take it she has family on Midgaard?" Odin asked as Thor nodded. "She will be allowed to travel to Midgaard and back anytime she chooses."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

A week later Dawn stood in the observatory next to Sif, Thor and Heimdall.

"Will I see you soon?" Dawn asked Thor.

"Anytime you wish," Thor said, "Lysa."

Dawn shook her head as she looked toward Sif. When she had been made part Asgardian to save her life. Sif, who had been the donor for the genetic information that now resided in her body had given her the name Lysa, which of course in the Asgardian tongue meant Dawn. "I'm not sure I will get used to that."

"You will in time, my daughter," Sif said.

"Or that, no offense," Dawn said.

"None taken," Sif replied. "Shall we?"

Dawn nodded as she smiled a little. Sif was accompanying her back to Earth for when she talked to Buffy and Bruce and explained what had happened to her. "I'm ready."

"Heimdall," Thor said as Heimdall moved to the controls and opened the Bifrost. He smiled as he turned to Dawn and kissed her passionately. "Do not forget …"

"If I need you I will call," Dawn said. "Promise. I love you."

"And I you, Lysa," Thor said as Dawn and Sif jumped into the Bifrost.


End file.
